OLD SCHOOL (must be 30 and over ITT) Forum

[delusional]

Hi guys,
glad to find this post.
I am 33, bombed my LSATs, but still a wanna-be-patent-lawyer.
Seriously debating between waiting another year and attending Santa Clara or UNH with 25K/year.

would appriciate any opinion.

Depends on what bombed the LSAT means. If you got significantly below your practice scores, take it again. It really is value you'd be leaving on the table.

[hoonhooon]

I could not solve the last game and my average score from practice tests was 162~168. sometimes below 160 and sometimes 170. Is it still reasonable to say that a perfect score on games are fairly achievable? If so, I am retaking LSAT this coming June, see what happens to my score and decide.

Side story,

Today was the first day to meet my future parent-in-laws. According to my girlfriend, They have been very understanding about my passion for a legal career, quitting my job for LSAT and all that. But today, they were freaking out when I mentioned my plan to retake the LSAT. LSAT is ruining my life.

[dingbat]

I could not solve the last game and my average score from practice tests was 162~168. sometimes below 160 and sometimes 170. Is it still reasonable to say that a perfect score on games are fairly achievable? If so, I am retaking LSAT this coming June, see what happens to my score and decide.

Side story,

Today was the first day to meet my future parent-in-laws. According to my girlfriend, They have been very understanding about my passion for a legal career, quitting my job for LSAT and all that. But today, they were freaking out when I mentioned my plan to retake the LSAT. LSAT is ruining my life.

They're gonna have to get used to you not working for 3 years.
Explain to them that while you're satisfied with your current prospects, a higher score may result in more scholarship money, and that is the reason you're retaking

Focus on the positive aspects (more money) rather than the negative (I bombed the first time)

[hoonhooon]

I am sure they will understand eventually. I was meeting them for the first time and I liked them very much. I love my girlfriend as well. too bad her first year of marriage is with 1L.

[dingbat]

I am sure they will understand it eventually.

Remember, they only want what's best for their child. It's your task to portray everything in as positive a light as possible

[skw]

I could not solve the last game and my average score from practice tests was 162~168. sometimes below 160 and sometimes 170. Is it still reasonable to say that a perfect score on games are fairly achievable? If so, I am retaking LSAT this coming June, see what happens to my score and decide.

Side story,

Today was the first day to meet my future parent-in-laws. According to my girlfriend, They have been very understanding about my passion for a legal career, quitting my job for LSAT and all that. But today, they were freaking out when I mentioned my plan to retake the LSAT. LSAT is ruining my life.

This decision is between you and your future wife to be. You may want to consider setting some boundaries now with the future in-laws. Tell them you appreciate their opinion, but you and [insert wife to be's name] will be making your decision between the two of you. You don't really have to justify it to them. You're both adults. Assuming your wife to be is supportive, this shouldn't be more than a two minute FYI to the future in-laws. Tell them what you're doing, thanks for their thoughts, but you'd be interested in hearing their opinion about [insert alternate topic here].

[Lawst]

I could not solve the last game and my average score from practice tests was 162~168. sometimes below 160 and sometimes 170. Is it still reasonable to say that a perfect score on games are fairly achievable? If so, I am retaking LSAT this coming June, see what happens to my score and decide.

Side story,

Today was the first day to meet my future parent-in-laws. According to my girlfriend, They have been very understanding about my passion for a legal career, quitting my job for LSAT and all that. But today, they were freaking out when I mentioned my plan to retake the LSAT. LSAT is ruining my life.

This decision is between you and your future wife to be. You may want to consider setting some boundaries now with the future in-laws. Tell them you appreciate their opinion, but you and [insert wife to be's name] will be making your decision between the two of you. You don't really have to justify it to them. You're both adults. Assuming your wife to be is supportive, this shouldn't be more than a two minute FYI to the future in-laws. Tell them what you're doing, thanks for their thoughts, but you'd be interested in hearing their opinion about [insert alternate topic here].

Better yet, if you can, avoid talking to them about it, or avoid talking to them at all, until after you retake. I found that I couldn't talk to my own parents when I was planning to retake the LSAT or when I was working on my applications. They were so negative that they were shaking my confidence when I needed it the most. They're a lot older, not risk-takers, not college educated and born worriers, and though I love them and know they were concerned for me, I couldn't do it. They were this way about my first career too, and had I listened to them, I never would have had any success. I would make a quick call to basically let them know I'm alive, but no conversation about what I was up to.

[albanach]

I could not solve the last game and my average score from practice tests was 162~168. sometimes below 160 and sometimes 170. Is it still reasonable to say that a perfect score on games are fairly achievable? If so, I am retaking LSAT this coming June, see what happens to my score and decide.

Side story,

Today was the first day to meet my future parent-in-laws. According to my girlfriend, They have been very understanding about my passion for a legal career, quitting my job for LSAT and all that. But today, they were freaking out when I mentioned my plan to retake the LSAT. LSAT is ruining my life.

If you have that much variation in your scores, I think you need to study more. Games it seems are harder than they once were, but they should still be points for the taking. If you think studying for the LSAT takes time, wait until you see what school demands. The LSAT is the easy bit.

Your 168 score could be a ticket to a free or very heavily subsidized ride at a lower school. That's worth over $100,000.

[DocHawkeye]

Just got home from taking my last final exam. Can't believe my 1L year is over. Wow.

[r6_philly]

Just got home from taking my last final exam. Can't believe my 1L year is over. Wow.

Congrats! I look forward to Friday.

[skw]

Just got home from taking my last final exam. Can't believe my 1L year is over. Wow.

Congrats! I look forward to Friday.

I'm done Friday at 5 too. Pass the drinks, please...oh, wait -- then it's time for the write-on. Will it ever end?

[DocHawkeye]

Just got home from taking my last final exam. Can't believe my 1L year is over. Wow.

Congrats! I look forward to Friday.

I'm done Friday at 5 too. Pass the drinks, please...oh, wait -- then it's time for the write-on. Will it ever end?

The write-ons here don't actually start until after grades come out at then end of the month, (about the same time my summer internship starts [great!]) so I have a nice break, blissfully ignorant of how I actually did. At the moment, I'm allowing myself to dream that the law review write-one won't actually be necessary. Ha!

[westcoast]

Hi, I can't believe it took me so long to discover this thread. I'm in my early thirties and heading to school this fall. I was a little concerned about explaining my motivation, but everything worked out ok. Now I'm trying to make the decision between moving to attend a T14 in a place I don't really want to live or going to a T50 in a more desirable location. It's very difficult because I always like to challenge myself and I'm a sucker for prestige. Fortunately, I'm single and can move with little difficulty.

I'm not worried at all about explaining my motivation for law to potential employers. Once you're actually in school, I don't think its an issue for BigLaw or anything else.

[r6_philly]

T14, you only need to put up with the location for 9 months for three years, then you can pretty much have your choice after that. You will also probably be in a better position to get a job in the T50's market, depending on your personal situation and the market, but most likely.

[r6_philly]

Just got home from taking my last final exam. Can't believe my 1L year is over. Wow.

Congrats! I look forward to Friday.

I'm done Friday at 5 too. Pass the drinks, please...oh, wait -- then it's time for the write-on. Will it ever end?

The write-ons here don't actually start until after grades come out at then end of the month, (about the same time my summer internship starts [great!]) so I have a nice break, blissfully ignorant of how I actually did. At the moment, I'm allowing myself to dream that the law review write-one won't actually be necessary. Ha!

Our write on is Mon/Tue next week. We have a keg party tomorrow afternoon, then training on the writing competition the next day. I start working the Monday after, so no it doesn't end. I will have 2 weeks to take a family vacation between end of my SA and OCI. Then back on the chain gang.

[skw]

Blissfully, my SA is only 10 weeks. I decided not to bother splitting because I am in dire need of a REAL break. I'm going to do so much of absolutely nothing it will be amazing. I may keep track just to see how much of nothing one can actually accomplish in 7 weeks.

[r6_philly]

Honestly I rather do 12 weeks if I could to cut down on loans but I could split so I will have to contend with the vacation.

[UltraNonTraditional]

Hi everyone! I'm new here, and certainly over 30 (by the time I apply, I'll be 37, close to 38 at the start of 1L). I've been lurking for a while, so thank you all for all your contributions. They've been most helpful to me.

I haven't taken the LSAT yet, or the diagnostics, but I tend not to do very well at standardized tests, so if I get a 160, I'll be thrilled. I just learned that there's a such thing as an LSAC GPA, which ruins my chances of relying on my anticipated 4.0 and the AA female URM boost to get me in. Here's the deal: after 5 years of a seesaw experience in undergrad, I finally dropped out with a 2.9. I had some semesters where I got all As, some with As and Bs, and some where I failed everything. This went on for five years, they let me walk the stage with 20 credits to go, and I went on with my life.

I have ADD (undiagnosed until a couple of years after I dropped out of undergrad), and since I didn't know it, I really couldn't employ any techniques to manage it.

Fast forward about 15 years to the point where I really got tired of having this unfinished bachelor's degree hanging over my head. I had moved 1000 miles away from home and the school where I had earned 100 credits didn't offer any online credits. I was not about to move back home to finish that degree, so I made the decision to give up 40 credits and transfer. I'm finishing up that degree now (4.0 thus far, but apparently that won't mean much once they factor in the horrible grades from my first attempt ), and preparing for the LSAT and the whole application process.

No exciting work experience... but a pretty compelling adversity story, so I'm hoping I can pull it all together into an impressive application. If not, I noticed yesterday that the DSW near me is hiring.

[JCFindley]

You can pull it all together and AA female URM does indeed give a pretty darned good boost at some schools though your cycle will be hard to predict by numbers alone....

Welcome to the thread.....

[spleenworship]

Just got home from taking my last final exam. Can't believe my 1L year is over. Wow.

How did it compare to med school?

I'm done with 1L too, though between write ons and my interships, I feel kind of like it didn't really end...

[DocHawkeye]

Just got home from taking my last final exam. Can't believe my 1L year is over. Wow.

How did it compare to med school?

I'm done with 1L too, though between write ons and my interships, I feel kind of like it didn't really end...

I actually have a Ph.D. in music, so no med school for me. Law school seemed way harder at first but then I realized, perhaps a little too late, that I was treating it like a foreign language when it was just a different take on a lanugage I already kind of spoke. In the end, I met my broad goal of not making a total fool of myself. I finished in the top half of the class and I'm OK with (but not thrilled by) that statistic.

I am looking forward to next fall, though. My summer work could either be very interesting or very tedious - we will see. Write-ons here don't start until next month, so we get a bit of a break.

[qisma]

I am glad to find this thread - been a lurker for awhile now in order to glean as much info as I could and apply to my particular situation. I've been kicking around the idea of law school for a few years now but never applied due to several factors: 1) horrible job market 2) do not want to give up my current job 3) UGPA was awful (sub 3.0, I kick myself to this day) because I was young and stupid (not an excuse, I know). If I do apply this year, I'll be 31 when I enroll, so I also was afraid of the age being an issue.

I think that my work experience is pretty strong (worked in compliance my whole career, first in ibanking/cap markets and now in information privacy) and with a strong LSAT score (something to still be determined), good recs and compelling essays, I think I'd have a decent shot at getting in somewhere regional. But I'm also deeply pragmatic, and I don't want to end up with a crushing debt load. I knew that when I landed my current job, I was going to do everything I could to hold onto it. I make over six figures with bonus, 3 weeks of vacation, all holidays, a week of sick time and generous benefits. I have a great work-life balance (9-5, i can also work from home) and though the company is a bit on the older side, they are good to their employees. Our department has a family feel to it. It's just that I've had this itch inside me to not only do more intellectually stimulating work, but to position myself so that I'd have a graduate degree that I could leverage to boost my earnings potential and transition my career into something better in the future. As much as I love my current job, I know that its a dead-end for me at this point, with no potential to be promoted to a higher title for at least the next 5 years and only COL raises.

It's the big three factors that have been holding me back from applying for law school. I considered business school and took the GMAT, but I scored terribly there (560). Granted, I did score in the 90th percentile for the Verbal section, which I'm told is basically a watered down version of the LSAT, but I don't know how much that really points to my ability to do well on the LSAT. I haven't taken it yet, but am considering a prep class this summer. I really don't want to give up my job, so part time law school is what I'd like to do - but I worry a lot about how I'd manage to transition that into a job as an attorney after graduation. I guess I've spent so much time advising others about risks that I'm too scared to take on any of my own!

[uci2013]

But I'm also deeply pragmatic, and I don't want to end up with a crushing debt load. I knew that when I landed my current job, I was going to do everything I could to hold onto it. I make over six figures with bonus, 3 weeks of vacation, all holidays, a week of sick time and generous benefits. I have a great work-life balance (9-5, i can also work from home) and though the company is a bit on the older side, they are good to their employees. Our department has a family feel to it. It's just that I've had this itch inside me to not only do more intellectually stimulating work, but to position myself so that I'd have a graduate degree that I could leverage to boost my earnings potential and transition my career into something better in the future. As much as I love my current job, I know that its a dead-end for me at this point, with no potential to be promoted to a higher title for at least the next 5 years and only COL raises.

I think it would be very hard to give up a 9-5 job with good work-life balance that pays 6 figures. Can you go to law school part-time and keep your job? Given the likelihood of attending a regional school, it might be better to go part-time, see if you like it and if you do well, and go from there. And do you care if you make less than your current job? The odds are stacked against you starting out making more than you make now. And keep in mind that no matter what kind of law you do, the hours will likely be long. We have had lawyers doing all kinds of law come and speak at our school and they all worked long hours, regardless of the pay. Only you can decide what you want. If the challenge and growth potential matter more than the money and the lifestyle, then maybe law school is right for you. But I think most on here would not go to law school if they already had a 6 figure job with a good work-life balance and good benefits.

[PDaddy]

Interesting article stating that applicants are getting older, not dumber.

http://amlawdaily.typepad.com/amlawdail ... umber.html

If you're over 40 and score 160+ you are doing extremely well...above 165 and you belong at HYS.

[jim-green]

But I'm also deeply pragmatic, and I don't want to end up with a crushing debt load. I knew that when I landed my current job, I was going to do everything I could to hold onto it. I make over six figures with bonus, 3 weeks of vacation, all holidays, a week of sick time and generous benefits. I have a great work-life balance (9-5, i can also work from home) and though the company is a bit on the older side, they are good to their employees. Our department has a family feel to it. It's just that I've had this itch inside me to not only do more intellectually stimulating work, but to position myself so that I'd have a graduate degree that I could leverage to boost my earnings potential and transition my career into something better in the future. As much as I love my current job, I know that its a dead-end for me at this point, with no potential to be promoted to a higher title for at least the next 5 years and only COL raises.

I think it would be very hard to give up a 9-5 job with good work-life balance that pays 6 figures. Can you go to law school part-time and keep your job? Given the likelihood of attending a regional school, it might be better to go part-time, see if you like it and if you do well, and go from there. And do you care if you make less than your current job? The odds are stacked against you starting out making more than you make now. And keep in mind that no matter what kind of law you do, the hours will likely be long. We have had lawyers doing all kinds of law come and speak at our school and they all worked long hours, regardless of the pay. Only you can decide what you want. If the challenge and growth potential matter more than the money and the lifestyle, then maybe law school is right for you. But I think most on here would not go to law school if they already had a 6 figure job with a good work-life balance and good benefits.

I am in the same situation and the only reason I am going is it is Cal and I am an engineer.